Automobile number-display device.



1-". W. BOTH. AUTOMOBILE NUMBER DISPLAY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1911. 479- Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

I w In V611 tar: 4 43% have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile Number-Display .Devices, of

rnnn'mucx w. 30TH,

or NEW Yonicn; Y.

AUTOMOBILE NUMBER-DISPLAY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March-13, 1911. Serial No. 614,226.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WV. BOTH,

, of the United States ofAmerica, residing at No. 523 East Two Hundred and Thirtyfourth street, New York city, New York,

' which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices adapted to display license numbers of automobiles and the like. I

One of the objects of the invention is to I i provide a device which maybe employed in connection with the usual form of lamp which is used upon vehicles and which will cause the license number of the vehicle to be clearly shown.

Another object of'the invention is to providea "device which will be simple in con-- struction and; operation and which will, therefore, be comparatively cheap to manufacture and not liable to get out of order.

,Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings showing the illustrative embodiment of the invention and in which the same reference numeral refers to similar parts in the several figures, Flgure 1 is afront elevational view of the device in position with respect to the lamp.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the device when the lamp is to be lighted or extinguished and also showing the manner of removing the plate bearing the license number, parts' being broken away for the sake of clearness. Fig. 3 is an endview of the device taken from the right hand of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view, the lamp being omitted. Fig. 5 is a partial sectional view taken on the line X,X ofFig. 4.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention 1 represeuts'the tail lump of ordinary construction provided with a door 2 having the usual white lens 3. In lampsof this character which are now used it is .usual to have the door which contains the whlte lens situated upon the side of the lamp which is directed toward the license numberplate, andone of the objects of-this invention is to provide a casing for carrying the license plate and which may be moved relatively to the lamp whereby the door may beopened when it is desired to have access to the interior of the lamp for lighting or extinguishing the same.

4 represents a casing which'may be of any Patented Jan. 28, 1913. t

suitable construction and which is provided with an opening at-the end adjacent to the lamp, into which opening the lens 3 is adapted to project when the casing is inits innermost or operative position, as clearly shown Fig. 1. Although the casing may be of any suitable construction, I preferably so form the rear wall, the inner surface of which acts as a reflector, that it slants toplaced-thereon, or it may be, as shown in the drawing, formed of metal having the license number cut out therefrom in the manner in which a stencil is formed. The plate is held in position by channels 6 formed at the ends and bottom of the casing, and may be removed by drawing the same upwardly, as clearly indicated in Flo. 2. in position by any suitable means, as. for example, by a catch 7 pivotally mounted upon the upper wall of the casing and provided with a bent end 8 adapted to extend over and engage the outer surface of the plate The casings: is slidingly mounted upon guides 9 which are carried by supports 10,

which, in turn, are secured to the body of.

the vehicle in any suitable manner, and are so arranged relatively to the lamp 1 that when the casing 4 is in its innermost position its open end will be in proximity to and register with the door of the lamp thereby assuring", that the light which passes through the lens 3 will pass within the casing. As clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the

casing has secured to its bottom wall mem bers 11 which sliding'ly engage the under surface of the guides 9, and spacing members 12 are preferably positioned between the members 11 and the bottom of the casing, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The sliding members 11 are preferably so positioned upon the casing with respect to the casing and the supports 10, that when the casmg is in its innermost position, as shown in Fig. 1,

It may be locked.

. outermost position,

' the outerend of the as .follows:

. Fig. 1, ifit Im After the lam of.-the casin Img; between within the'recesses 15, auto'umtically loc "ng the casing in its operative it is merely into which t will'be at once seen placed 'upon the inner member 11 will engage the inner support 10, and-when the casing is inits as shown in Fig. 2, the outermost member 11 will engage the outermost support 10. It will, of course, be un- "derstood that the the casing moved to its outermost position, its inner endwill be at a distance from the'lamp such that the door of the latter may be readily opened without striking the casin' In order to revent accidental movement due to the jarring of the vehicle suit-ab e locki .means is provided,

which, in the embodiment shown, consists of a pair of Spring members 13 secured to casin and adapted, as the casing is moved inwar to pass between the inclined edges of the jaws 14 which are attached to the outermost support 10 and engage in recesses 15 formed in said jaws.

The operation of the device, which should be largely obvious from-the description, is Assuming the casing-to be in its normal or innermost position, as shown in extinguishthe' same, it is merely necessary to press "the spring locking members 13 toget er thereby moving them out of their corresponding recesses 15, and then move the casing outward into the position shown in Fig. 2. The outward movement of the casing will be limited by the outermost mem-.

ber 11 coming into en gement with the outermost support '10. T e door of the lamp may now be" opened, as indicated in F i 2, thus giving full -access to the interior. 0 the has been lighted or extinguished and the oor shut it is merely necessary to pusht-h'casing inward into-its normal positiomth'e spring members 13 pass the jaws 14 and engaging itiom If the vehicle is taken from one tate to another,

plate 5 con "ondin'g to thersbf zfroni other license platecorr on-ding'to the State e vehicle just passed. .It will also be seen that by\ arranging the plate holding -grooves infsuch a manner that the license'p steed I bl i remov itis :pra'cticall im' so: e for fiie same 'to-'be' jarred out of gds'ition owmg to the roll hness'of the roads. Even if thecatchi'shd d breakflorg'et out of order would b'e-no' danger of the plate bemgaccidentally displaced irom SICIOB." By rovidjnga -of this chatacter'msuc a'manner-that it may be slid back and forth with,respect to the1am it that it is adapted to be vehicles which are, supplied outermost member 11. should be so positioned-that when is desired to light the lamp, or toadapted to be emitte necessary p passing'tho state line to ralse the catch 7, remove the license;

,must be drawn. upward when.

casmg being op9n at its front'side and a with said opening. 8., In combination with a lamp r'providedf an openingthrough license peg; with a "door; "having 7 port imounteelfftti be with the usual form oftail lamps whereas if the casing were made stationary, it would be necessary for the owner of the vehicle to obtain a lamp in which the doorwas positioned-upon some-other side than that upon which it is ordinarly positioned thus incurring the additional expense of a new lamp.

In fact, it might even be necessary in some instances to have a lamp made to order. Y

I I preferably paint the entire inner surface of the casing white to form a good reflector, but, of'course, the same could be formedof tin. However, I have found that whitepaint gives the best results, as it makes a better back ground for the number upon the license plate in the day time.

While'I have shown a casing in which theback slants toward the front in .-the direction of the outer end, it will, of course, be understood that'the invention is notlimited to a casing of this construction.

Having described this invention in connection with the illustrative embodiment thereof to the details of which disclosure the invention is not, of course, to be limited except as required by thescope of the claims, what is'claimed as new and what. is desired to be secured by. Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims: 1. In combination with a lamp provided with an opening throu a casing provided Wit an opening adapted toi-registerwith .95 whichthe light is J the opening insaid lamp",- guides uponwhich said casin'g'is slidably may moved away from and toward said 1am a 'cat'ch 'adj'acent the outer ends of said gm es, means carried byisa'id casingfor enmoimted, whereby it sa1d catch when the casing is in its mnermostposition to lock-the same against movement, said casing being open at its front side and a license plate registering with said opening. 1f 2; In combination withj a-lamp provided with an opening through which the light, is

ted to -be emitted, a casing provided adalp Twit an opening adapted to register with the opening in said lamp, guides upon which said casing is slidingly mounted, whereby it maybe moved away lamp, op ositely disposed outer en of said guides and having'recessesin their inner edges, means carried by-sald casing for engaging said recesses when the casing is in its innermost position e same against movement, said license plate registering for said casing being m s d fromand towardsaid aws adjacent the" upon said slipnor 9 away from and toward said lamp, said casing being open at its front side and a license plate registering with said opening.

In combination with a lamp provided With a door having an opening through which the light is adapted to be emitted, a

casing provided with an opening adapted to register with the opening. in said lamp, guides upon which said casing is slidingly mounted, whereby it may be moved from and toward said'lamp, and means free from connection with said lamp for automatically locking the casing against movement in its innermost position, said casing being; open at its frontside and a license plate register- 15 ing with said opening.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK W. BOTH.

\Vitnesses V312 P. Jones, ARTHUR H. ElonnoLz.

Copies of this patcntmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

